Falcone Flyover, the pathway rises eight feet above the High Line, winding through a canopy of trees, between West 25th and West 27th Street, looking South. Picture: Iwan Baan Iwan/Baz MCallister Source: National Features

IT'S only been open six years and is yet to be completed, but already it attracts more visitors than some of New York's greatest, long-established institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MOMA.

It also happens to be one of the best pieces of urban design and renewal you will ever see, inspiring copycat ideas around the world, including possibly Melbourne in the future.

New York's High Line has captured the imagination of millions of visitors to the Big Apple and is becoming one of the must-see attractions of the city.

A prime example of American ingenuity and sheer determination, the High Line was once a disused raised railway line that originally ran above the street between the gritty meat and food factories on Manhattan's lower west side.

For years, like large parts of the city, it laid disused and in disrepair after the railways and factories yielded to the modern post-industrial world.

Early in his term, the then New York mayor Rudy Giuliani wanted the remaining sections torn down.

Many people agreed with Giuliani, considering the iron structure an eyesore and beyond repair.

But where many saw decay and ugliness, a handful of locals saw the opportunity to create something that was unique, functional and brilliant - a raised pedestrian park along the entire length of the remaining railway structure.

In 1999, a group of locals started the non-profit Friends of the High Line. They fought hard for the line's preservation and reuse as public open space, an elevated park or greenway.

Rallying local and corporate backing, support for the project grew until, in 2004, under new Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Government committed $50 million to establish the park while significant corporate donors, such as Google, also jumped on board.

The result is not only a triumph of imagination and design but, like so much good urban renewal infrastructure, it is also inspiring the redevelopment and gentrification of huge tracts of land in New York's previously neglected west side.

In April 2006, Mayor Bloomberg presided over a ceremony that marked the beginning of construction to transform the High Line from a run-down wasteland into something special. Little did he know then that the project would not only invigorate a whole area of Manhattan, it would end up as one of New York's most popular tourist destinations, attracting an estimated 3.7 million visitors last year.

The southernmost section, from Gansevoort St (near 12th St) to 20th St, opened as a city park in June 2009. Construction of the second section, from 20th St to 30th St was completed in June 2011.

It is hoped the third and final section, to be rebuilt around one of New York's massive property developments between 30th and 34th streets, will begin shortly.

Stepping on to the High Line at 20th St, you immediately understand what all the hype is about.

The design is brilliant, the views are outstanding, everything about the project has been so well conceived, down to the smallest detail, that it takes your breath away.

The pedestrian pathway cuts through trees, shrubs and flower beds, opening and closing again as different sections of the High Line expand and contract depending on where the old rail lines travelled. Seats are designed to be both functional and artistic, sculptures blend seamlessly with the growing vegetation, while fountains, an outdoor cinema and a green lawn that acts as a local common area all combine to make it such an interesting walking experience.

And due to the High Line being elevated, the views are worth the walk alone. Depending on which end you decide to start, you will have the mighty Hudson River immediately on one side of you and the magnificent Manhattan skyline, with clear, uninterrupted views of the Chrysler, Empire State and the rapidly rising Freedom Tower buildings, to name just a few.

You walk past people's apartments and backyards, giving a sense of New York voyeurism, over busy streets and avenues, through the middle of old and restored buildings and past new and eclectic architecture.

Access points along the way give you a chance to explore local points of interest including the Chelsea Markets and boutique art galleries in the meatpacking district.

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